Hanging out with the wrong crowd can get you into big trouble. In fact, a large study done by the University of Minnesota showed that "hanging out" with friends was the biggest predictor of risky behavior in the youth.

In the past, I have always believed that kids from broken homes and single parent families were the high-risk group. But this study showed that "hanging out" with friends was the common denominator. Whether a youth lived with one parent or two, regardless of their race or income, hanging out unsupervised will get kids into trouble.

Of coarse, God knew this generations ago. He left us many scriptures warning us of the dangers of wrong company. Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, do not go along with them Proverbs 1:10 (Message). It is impossible to consistently hang out with the wrong crowd and not pick up some of their habits. Can two walk together except they be agreed? (see Amos 3:3). The best thing is to withdraw yourself from bad company.

Even though hanging out with friends greatly impact the choices of most youth, it does not mean that parents and family do not matter. The study showed that youth who are close to their parents were less likely to get into risky behavior like sex and drugs. But as youth spent more and more time "hanging out" with friends, they were three to eight times more likely to get trapped into a risky lifestyle.

I believe that children of single parents are at a disadvantage, but they are far from hopeless or doomed. The study showed only a two percent difference the teens from single parent and two parent homes. The quality of the relationship mattered much more than wealth, the number of parents or race.

Parents should be aware of whom their kids hang out with and how they spend their unsupervised time. If they hang out with friends who smoke and drink, most likely they will do the same thing. As parents involve themselves in the lives of their children, they will be able to help steer them clear of the traps that harm them.

By: Edmund Brown